Dual wheel assembly



Jan. 8, 1946. 8, ASH 2,392,627

DUAL WHEEL ASSEMBLY Original Filed Dec. 14, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 T1 INVENTOR' T1 3.2 I CHARLES 5 AW Q 1W. W

ATTORNE Jan, 8, 1946. c. s. ASH

DUAL WHEEL ASSEMBLY Original Filed Dec. 14, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvsu'roa CHARLES 5.145

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 8, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE/,3 5, 7 son. wlizzizi issnmnmk i Original applicationDecemberili',1940, SerialNo. 370,113,. new Patent No. 2,305,836, dated December 22, 1942. Divided and this application May 5,. 1942.v Serial No. 441,813. In' Canada December 5, 1941 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in dual wheels for automotive vehicles and more particularly to improvements in bearingconstruction of dualwheel assemblies;

This application is a division of my prior copending application Serial Number 370,113 filed December 14, 1940,. now Patent Number 2,305,836.

Objects and advantages of the'invention will be set; forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or maybe learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consistsin the novel parts. constructions, arrangements; combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate several modifications of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. I I

Ofthe drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section partly in elevation of a dirigible, driven dual front wheel assembly showing one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2is a face view of a differential pinion ring forming a part of the dual wheel. driving means;

Figure 3 is a face view of one of the bearing rings;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary axial section showing a pinion support as employed in the form shown in Figures 1 and 2; 3

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section similar to Figure 1 but showing a modified form of bearing ring construction; and v Figure 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal section partly in elevation of a dirigible non-driven dual wheel assembly embodying another form of the invention.

The present invention has for an object thepr vision of a novel and improved dual wheel assembly for automotive road vehicles which may be used with di-rigible or non-dirigible, driven or nondriven dual wheels. A further object is the provision of an improved wheel construction in which the bearings may be easily and accurately adjusted to compensate for wear. Still another object of the invention is the provision of a wheel consupporting ring 4 upon the outboard face of which struction for driven dual wheels in which improved thrust bearings are provided for the driving members.

Itwill be understood that the foregoing general description, and the following. detailed description is secured a non-rotatable hollow spindle 5 as by screws. 6 and flange 1. Theupper and lower king pin connection between the, knuckle 2. and the spindle 5 comprises upper and lower shouldered pins l0 axially alined and secured in knuckle 2, and having their outer ends mounted and supported in ball bearing units H which are carried in recesses l2 formed in the spindle ring 4.

Plates [3, H aresecured by cap screws Hover the recesses l:2 in the spindle ring 4 and, by means of shims l6, properly spaced. and retain the bear ing units [I in operative position. Upper plate-= [3 may be provided with an inwardly extending arm 20 having a pivot stud 2| secured in the end there.- of upon which a suitable steering mechanism (not shownimaybeattached. I I l A lubricant seal 23 may be set in a groove formed in an inboard flange 25 of the ring .4 to cooperate with the spheroidal surface of the knuckle 2.

The means whereby the dual wheels may be driven comprise a live shaft, 26 driven from the propeller shaft differential (not shown) mounted in axle housing I, and having its outboard end formed as one element of a suitable universal jcint2l, shown here conventionally as a. 'Marmon- Herrington joint. The other element of theuniversal joint 21 consists of a live stub shaft 28 which projects into the hollow interior of spindle 5 and has mounted. thereon an inwardly splined hub 29 of a driving flange 30, key slots 3| being provided. in the outboard portion of shaft 28 to cooperate. with splined hub 29.. Driving flangev 30 is attached by stud bolts 32 to a hub member 33 upon whichthe dual wheels are rotatably;mount ed and which in turn is journalled upon the spindle 5 by meansv of roller bearings 34, 35 which may be held in operative positionin the usual man ner as by retainer nuts 36 threaded upon the end of spindlei.

Means are provided whereby the dual wheels maybe mounted upon hub 33 to permit differen tial relative rotation thereon, allow adjustment p nthehub to compensate for wear or other maladjustment, and attain sturdy bearing facilities for each wheel. VAs embodied, there is provided near the outboard end of hub 33 a bearing ring 40, having a split 4| at one point in its circumference of such width as to engage a key 42 carried by thehub whereby the ring 40 may be moved longitudinally upon hub 33] butcannot rotate thereupon. The outer periphery of hearing ring 40 is a tapered surface 43, facing inboard, "I may be made of thetapered bearing ring 40 to V "compensate for hearing wear or other bearing and constituting the bearing surface upon which is mounted the outboard wheel 44, the hubportion 45 of which is provided with a eorrespond- 1' At the inboard end 'of hub 33 there is provided a second bearing ring 46'similar to ring 40 but having its tapered'bearing 'sur'-' face 41 facing outwardly. A key fl provided in p the hub 33and engaging the split in ring 46 prevents rotation of the ring upon the hub. The ring ingly tapered bore.

46, contrary to ring 40, is fixed longitudinally upon the hub, 33 by abutting the outer face of an annular portion 48 of hub 33-f ormed thereon: A brake drum 49 may be mounted upon the annular portioni48of the hub 33 andadaptedto cooperate with a brak mechanism ,(not'shown of suitable design. 7 3' .1

Uporrthe bearing ring, 46 there is journalled aninboard wheel 58,5 dish shaped in form and V hayingan inwardly rojecting hub 5| provided with a tapered, bore to correspond with the -t"apered surface 41 of bearing ring 46, A packing ring 5?, set into a groove 53 in the inboard iace oihubjl and contacting a groove 54 in thefannular portion 4859f hub- 33 serves to protect the tapered bearing of ring 46 from external dirt or foreign matter which might find entrance thereto through the clearance 55 between hub 5| and portion'48, which clearance is necessary to allow longitudinal movement or adjustment of wheel .5:' n l'iIlg 46 to compensate for wear.

Meansfor drivingthewheels 44 and 50 from the main hub 3 3eso as to permita difierential rotation are provided and as. embodied ompri a difierential pinion ring 60, mounted upon hub 33 V ,in which are rotatably mounted a plurality of bevel pinions 6! adaptedtorotate freely upon as well as to allow limited movement of the two wheel towards each other as adjustment is made apertured,as at 19 and,80- to receive the usual rim bolts ,(not shown) by which the ri s may b mounted upon the wheels.

Means are provided whereby the adjustment maladjustment. As embodied, they comprise a nut 85 threaded upon the outer end of main hub i ill-Landadapted to press against and move inwardstub shafts62 carried byrpinion ring, Pinion V ringfiO maybe formed as, an outerand inner annulus liiutgl, connected by ribs 65, the space between the ends. of the ribs providing a chamber 7 66 for 'receiving'the pinion 6i. Stub shafts62 may be set in bores formed in the outer and inner ,annuli .63, 64 andretained in place 'by a spring ring fill carried} inthe bores of outer annulus 63 adjacent th'e' ends 'of thejr t l jshafts 7 7 Means. are p ov d d or vi s p m nt l bearing sup o t. f ft e W el 44 a in ad? 'dition'rto that afforded bybearing rings and 6, n ase bod ed om r s anP Wfei lY- pered'loearing surface 10 formedon the outboard 5 periphery .of pinion ring annulus 6 3 updn which a correspondingly. tapered portion 1 1 b1 outboard wheel. 44.'bears.t The inboard periphery of the annulus B3 is formed with ansimilar but oppositely-pdirected tapered bearing" surface 12 upon which bears a correspondingly, tapered portion 13 or inboard wheel.50. ,The' outboard wheel 44 which-bridges over the pinion ring.6Bar1jdmay be inboardwheel 50 to be nested therein but n'otiin ly'the bearing ring 40. Thus, if an excess of clearance developsgat any one or all of the tapered bearing surfaces 43; I0, 12 and 41, it'may be reduced to proper dimensions by a tightening of the nut whereby either one or both of the wheels and 56, with their associated parts, or

the bearing ring 40 alone will befmoved slightly 7 to the right (Figure 1) and the bearing clearancestherebyredefined.

Means are provided for transmitting-therotaton of themain hub 33 to thepinion ring 60 and are fixed in hub 33. The length of'slot 9l is greater than the diameter of stub shaft and therebypermits the slight longitudinal movement of ring 60 necessary during bearing" wear adjustment; To transmit a differential rotation tothe two wheels '44 and 56 from the rotation of pinionring 60 thereis provided in each wheel'a bevel ring gear which meshes withth-pinions BI and drives its respective wheel through j'c'lutch teeth 95, formed on the ring gear hub and engaging similar teeth 'formed on the interior of thejwheel hubs 45 and 5|. The thrust'of bevel gear, action is transmitted through the wheel hubs and absorbed upon the tapered 7 bearing rings 40 and; Thus it willbe 'seen 'that as the main hu b 33 and pinion rings tfi rotate this motion is transmitted to the wheels 44 and5 0 through pinions G l and ring gears 35 to whateverrextentrthe road contact of the wheels and tires permit. Y W p 1 :Be ferring now to Figure 5 there is' show n'a modified form of tapered bearing ring construc tion as applied to the structure just described wherein the tapered bearing surfaces are between the rings and the main hub 33 rather than the rings and the wheels as previously described. VAs

embodied,'the inboard wheel hub 5! has a bearing 1 ringlOll keyed therein, the bore of which isa tapered bearing surface adapted'to ride upon a;

correspondingly tapered surfaoe lll! formed on the main' hub 33. The outboard wheel hub 45 similarly provided with. abearing ring I702, keyed thereto in the's'ame'manner asring lllfluiskeyed tohub 51.; The bore of ring; I82 is tapered in the opposite direction from ring 16;]; and adapted to ride upon a correspondinglytapered surface flllliformed upon ainut H34 threadedupon the direct contact therewithr A resilient packin g ring V 16 is interposed between the J cylindricaL po'rtipn g :14 of wheel 44 and the nested portion erfv n so to exclude foreign matter and retain lubricant end of :main hubj33. JI'he' outer portion of nut lll lis split and provided with a'clampjbolt to retain it in the desired position of adjustment 'whioh thebearingclearances require- Thus, as

Jbearing wear-developsorbearing clearance requires correction, the nut H34 maybe unolamped;

rotated upon its threads on hub 33 and reclamped, thereby taking up the undesired clearances by movement of rings I and I02 along tapered surfaces IOI and I03.

In Figure 6 there is illustrated a non-driven front dual wheel assembly in which the outboard wheel may be journalled upon the hub of the inboard wheel by a pair of oppositely tapered bearing rings adapted to adjustment for proper bearing clearance in a manner similar to that already described. As embodied, a front axle beam I III carries a dirigible stub axle III by means of the usual king pin connection II2. Upon axle III there is mounted, by means of the usual roller bearings I I3, I I4, a main hub I I5 having a flange H6 at its inner end to which may be bolted an inboard wheel and tire rim I I1, as by clamp bolts II8. A brake drum II9 may also be secured by cap screws I20 to flange H6.

Upon the inner and outer end of main hub II5 there is keyed a split, tapered bearing ring I2I, the respective tapered bearing surfaces of which face towards each other. Journaled upon bearing rings I2I by correspondingly tapered surfaces I22, I23 is an outboard wheel hub I24 which may be provided near its central portion with a flange or lugs I25 to which an outboard wheel and tire rim I26 may be attached by clamp bolts I21.

Means for adjusting the position of the outer bearing ring I 2I to compensate for wear or other maladjustment is provided and as embodied comprises a retaining plate I 28 secured to a shoulder portion I29 of main hub II 5 by screws I30 and provided with a shim I3I. The inner face of plate I28 contacts the outer bearing ring I 2I and serves to hold it in the desired adjusted position. Plate I28 may be further provided with an inwardly extending rim I32 overlapping the end of outboard hub I24 and provided with a packing ring I33 to seal the tapered bearing I2I against ingress of foreign matter. The length of hub I 24 is sufliciently shorter than the minimum adjustable distance between plate I28 and main hub flange II6 to permit the movement of outer bearing ring I2I, by plate I28, towards the inner bearing ring IZI as compensation is made for maladjusted bearing clearance.

The invention in its broader aspects is notlimited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:

1. A dual wheel assembly including in combination a pair of coaxial inner and outer wheel hubs mounted for relative rotation, the inner hub having an outwardly extending radial wall flange and the outer hub having internally tapered surfaces at its outer and inner ends, the latter located adjacent to said wall flange, and means for journaling one hub relative to the other comprising a pair of axially spaced outer and inner tapered bearing rings encircling the inner hub and disposed respectively between the same and the outer and inner tapered surfaces of the outer hub, the inner bearing ring being arranged to abut against said wall flange and the outer bearing ring being axially adjustable on the inner hub, and means at the outer end of the inner hub for axially adjusting the outer bearing ring and retaining the same in adjusted position.

2. A dual wheel assembly including in combination an axle, an inner sleeve-like hub, bearings between and mounting said hub for rotation on the axle, an outer hub carried by the inner hub, the innerhub having an outwardly extending radial wall flange and the outer hub having internally tapered surfaces at its outer and inner ends, the latter located adjacent to said wall flange, and means for journalling one hub relative to the other comprising a pair of axially spaced outer and inner tapered bearing rings encircling the inner hub and disposed respectively between the same and the outer and inner tapered surfaces of the outer hub, the inner bearing ring being arranged to abut against said wall flange and the outer bearing ring being axially adjustable on the inner hub, and means at the outer end of the inner hub for axially adjusting the outer bearing ring and retaining the same in adjusted position.

3. A dual wheel assembly including in combination an axially extending elongated inner hub, an outer hub, the inner hub having an outwardly extending radial Wall flange and the outer hub having internally tapered surfaces at its outer and inner ends, the latter located adjacent to said wall flange, and bearing means between said hubs holding them coaxial and against relative axial movement comprising a pair of outer and inner axially spaced tapered journal rings extending about the ends of the inner hub and between the same and the tapered surfaces of the outer hub, the inner ring being arranged to abut against said wall flange and being interlocked against independent rotation to one of the hubs and the outer ring being held fixed against independent rotation but mounted for axial movement on the inner hub, and means at the outer end of the inner hub for axially adjusting the outer ring and retaining the same in adjusted position.

CHARLES S. ASH. 

